If you’re looking to breed beagles, or are just curious about beagle pregnancy in general, one of the first questions that will likely arise is: how many puppies are in a beagle litter?

Obviously, there is no set number that you can count on for beagle litter size, but most litters of beagles tend to range between having four to eight puppies, with six being the average.

Average Litter Sizes for Beagles

It has been observed that a beagle’s average pregnancy time is around 60 to 65 days. To know the exact number of puppies in the beagle litter during the Beagle Pregnancy – you will definitely have to until at least 6 months. The main reason for this is that the fetus’s bones are not completely calcified. After 6 months, the veterinarian can take an ultrasound test or an X-ray of the pregnant beagle, which will give you the exact number of puppies in the beagle litter with dependable accuracy.

Usually, there is a variation in the number of puppies of a Beagle litter that ranges from 1 to 10 puppies. But, most of the records confirm that the average-sized Beagle will deliver 6 healthy puppies.

Maternal age also plays a bit of a role in litter size as well. Beagles that breed between 2 to 5 years of age tend to have larger litters. And after five before menopause, potential litter size starts to decrease as the beagle gets older.

But as mentioned above, if you want to prepare yourself and your abode for the new arrivals, wait till 6 months for the medical estimate of litter size just to be safe. 

How Is Beagle Litter Size Determined During Pregnancy?

Having a pregnant beagle can be an exciting thing, but of course you’ll want to prepare for the exact number of bundles of joy that you might be expecting.

While there are some sure ways like ultrasounds and x-rays (at around 40-50 days of the pregnancy), when it comes to dogs these forms of measurement aren’t as accurate as they are with humans, especially since dog litters can have particularly small runts that are harder to detect. Ultimately it’s a bit of a guessing game until the day of birth.

However, there are some factors that you can pay attention to so that you can better assess your potential puppy load:

• First Litter Size:

Usually, if the first litter size is small, that tends to indicate that all future litter sizes will also be small. The same goes for dogs that have the capacity for large litter sizes, so if your dog has bred before, take their prior litter size into account.

• Age Of Mother & Father Beagles:

The litter size of the beagle puppies is inversely proportional to the age of their father and mother. Particularly young and particularly older beagles are much less likely to have large litters (outside the range of 2 to 5 years of age), so keep that in mind when trying to prepare for your upcoming litter.

• Health Conditions:

A female beagle with poor health conditions will definitely have a small litter size. If your beagle has any chronic illnesses that could complicate the pregnancy, you’ll want to consult with a vet to monitor your dog as the pregnancy progresses over time to make sure that both the mothers and babies are safe.

When Can Beagle Litter Size Be Measured During Pregnancy?

Knowing in advance the litter size is helpful in many ways to their pet owners. The larger litter size may lead to dystocia (birthing complications), which you may want to prepare for. It’ll also help you know how much space you’ll need to provide to your new litter of puppies.

However, it can be really a tricky business that surely requires some time. A professional vet may predict whether your beagle is pregnant or not by checking its palpitation within a month of its pregnancy. But seldom will they be able to confirm the litter size. If you plan to do an ultrasound at the early stage (within 30-35 days) you will not get the exact litter size. You will only know whether the pups are moving and alive. This is because even at this stage the pups are nothing but a delicate growing fetus or an embryo!

During beagle pregnancy, the best way to determine the litter size is by radiography. And this is possible only when the puppies in the womb have developed skeletons. Once the skeletons are structured, these can be imprinted on the X-rays. This is a 100% assured method. However because beagle gestation periods max out at around 60 days, it’s hard to get the timing right for an appointment.

There are various advantages of determining the litter size, in advance. Breeders can confirm the health of the mother beagle and any anticipated problems. If the puppy size is large, there might be difficulty in passing the puppy out, which you’ll want to prepare for.

Also, it is generally not advised to repeat the X-ray procedure frequently as it might affect the pups and mother beagle.

How to Care Of New Litter of Beagles

At birth, beagle puppies will only way just a few ounces, and will likely not even be able to open their eyes or quite move around on their own yet. Some of the best things you can do include keeping the mother well fed and comfortable so that she can nourish the pups and ensure every member of the litter develops safely.

Steps To Take Care Of New-born Beagles:

• Your proactive action is expected to handle the whelping beagle by assembling various instruments like – towels, cotton balls, tiny warming box, thermometer, heating pad, and a waste disposal if necessary
• After whelping the first puppy, allow the beagle mother to nurse it. Touch the puppy only when the mom allows this of you! The mother’s maternal instincts will be fully active so you’ll want to keep a respectful distance at first.
• Make your tiny warming box ready by putting the heating pad set on low, with several number of towels mounted on it. Slowly put the first puppy on it once ready.
• Repeat the same nurturing with the rest of the puppies.
• After all the deliveries very slowly keep the newborn puppies close to the mother beagle and give them their privacy.
• Do not over-handle your bundle of joy as they are highly delicate and you might hurt them unintentionally.

Major Complications During Whelping:

· When the mother’s beagle is healthy seldom will be any complications during the beagle pregnancy. You need not interfere with their mother-pup bonding and natural birth process. Your intrusion might be the problems hence avoid it.

· But your intervention is required during emergencies. Sometimes mother beagle might get jumbled and scared of seeing her puppies. In this utter confusion, she might turn her back on the puppies. Feed the ignored puppies till such time the bond is developed between the mother and puppies.

· Mother beagle might not be able to nurture all the puppies at one time if the litter size is big. Your role is important wherein feed the ignored puppies.

· Some major problems might be encountered like – Puppy or mother death, short supply of milk, or mastitis (swelling in mammary gland due to bacterial infection). Consult vet on top priority.

Precautions to Take at Birth:

• Your heating pad set on the medium should be placed under the blanket where the mother and its puppies relax to take a nap. But remember to leave half of the resting area outside the heating pad (i.e. room temperature) so that the mother and pups can regulate their body heat if necessary
• Observe each and every puppy by recording their weight at birth every week during the initial phase, and report these back to your vet once you eventually take them in for shots and de-worming.
• In the case of malnourished puppies, your role is important. Provide a pup with dog-recommended milk externally by the baby bottle. It is required to feed the baby every two hours even during night time. This has to be followed for the next 4 weeks. After that, slowly transition the food habit into solid foods.

Mother Siblings Bonding:

Once they’ve reached four weeks of age, your puppies have generated all the senses of hearing, vision and even learned to walk. These curious bundles will like to explore everything around them. Your role is to take care of their inquisitiveness by enhancing their play-boundaries while keeping safety a priority.

They’ll still need some time to bond with your mother, and you should handle your early interactions with them extremely delicately.

You can separate them from their mother once they reach the age of 8 weeks.

Your role is not just to babysit the newborn puppies but become a real parent who will nurture their puppies right from their whelping. These responsibilities range from feeding malnourished puppies, to playing with them once they’ve reached 8 weeks of age and are ready to learn about your family pack.

How Long Should A New-born Litter Stay With Its Mother?

It is beyond any doubt that the new-born should spend time with their litter-mates and especially their mother to receive correct training, social manners and the most optimal nourishment – the mothers’ milk.

When it comes to timelines, the ideal timeline to give puppies with their mothers is around ten weeks. This allows them to optimally develop and get nourished to help, while learning from example from their mother.

If a puppy spends over three months with its mother and litter-mates, it may be difficult to introduce your dogs to humans and other types of animals, as an insecure attachment could develop. This type of attachment can lead to behavioral issues like excessive growling, disobedience, and separation anxiety.

Final Thoughts

Dogs, and especially beagles are strong and independent animals. As a breeder or even just an owner with a happy accident on their hands, you should be relieved to know that beagles are fully capable of handling birth on their own, but of course they’d obviously benefit from your shelter, food, and care while they go through the whelping process. Best of luck to you and your new litter!